Dianne Keck, KPA-CTP, SDC, FFCP

Oops, forgot to post for a few months and she tripled in size.

Spirit the Labrador is here to remind us that even if we are different, we can still be friends. Love my happy girl.

Want your dog to not pull you down the stairs? Got a new puppy or dog who hasn’t used stairs much? Here are a few tips for teaching slow walking down stairs. #dogtraining #dogtrainer #servicedog #therapydog

Did your child lose their book collection in the Los Angeles fires? Are you a teacher at a school that lost its library or your classroom library? Whether you need one book or a whole library, we can replace your books. 📚

Everyone else, please boost this post so we can connect with those in need. 🙏

Baby dog is six-months-old 🥰

A golden retriever puppy looks up while the camera is positioned straight on.

Is there anything better than retriever eyes? #goldenretriever

Winter hiking in the desert is such an indescribably lovely treat after surviving the Summer.

Spur Cross in the Winter. 🌵

I also believe in the trinity.

Spirit is 45 pounds and Scarlett is 68 pounds, which is why I tell people picking a dog based on weight is like guessing square footage in a house. It can be laid out really well or not. Spirit’s mom is 90 of the most compact pounds and her dad is an equally compact 92. We’ll see…

A woman sits on the floor of a hardware store holding a yellow Labrador puppy in her lap.

Took Spirit out to train with 2 dogs. I got distracted training another dog and gave Spirit’s leash to my son. Spirit basically said, “Cool, I guess this is normal,” and walked off with him to do whatever. Then we had a big snuggle sesh. 😍 I love her.

Occasionally dog trainers wear clothes without dog hair on them. So happy to support my friend and her husband on the opening of Zuva Gallery of African art in Carefree. #picsoritdidnthappen

A black and white chihuahua mix wearing a red and white striped sweater sits on a towel.

Joy was practicing her mat work at Nordstrom yesterday, and let me snap this adorable photo! Okay, she might have also been hoping a sit with eye contact would produce a treat. (It did.)

Had so much fun at the Pup Festival and visiting my friend, Colleen, from Pets on Q! Also got to meet the most lovely Tibetan Terrier, Charlie.

Adorable!

Thankfully, the cue “Spirit” predicts meat so she didn’t ingest any.

Coyote scat was the cue I was competing with today.

A yellow Labrador puppy sits on a rock and looks at the camera.

Many dogs find the outdoor environment more reinforcing than indoor environments, like stores. It should be no surprise, then, that Service Dogs in Training are often more “distracted” in those outdoor environments! We do a lot of work in those environments for exactly that reason. TGIF from Spirit!

Spirit is learning to back up. Why? This behavior is probably not critically necessary for the average family dog, but it can make life much easier when walking with a Service Dog in a public access scenario. That said, I love having it as a skill and teach it to all of my dogs! #dog #dogtraining

A woman with brown hair in a tan blazer holds a yellow Labrador puppy on her lap in front of a brown studio background.

Hello! Glad to connect. I am Dianne and this is one of our dogs, Spirit. She is a Service Dog in Training and I hope you enjoy following our journey. I can’t wait to see your animals and adventures!